May 21, 2015

Charlie Langlois

Charlie Langlois was a rough and tumble defenseman and no stranger to the penalty box.

Physical defensemen are always sought after, regardless of era. Langlois turned down repeated offers from the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto St. Pats and Quebec Bulldogs in the early 1920s. Instead he continued playing senior hockey in Montreal and Sudbury where he was a real star.

Langlois, originally from Lotbiniere, Quebec though Ottawa was his home, was a real speedster. One newspaperman called him "a cannonball on skates." The same reporter praised him as "a very heavy checker and fine all around defense player." Others called him everything from "flashy" and "dashing" to "beefy."

Despite reports that Langlois would retire rather than turn pro, he eventually did sign with the NHL's Hamilton Tigers in 1924, and moved to the New York when the whole franchise relocated and became the Americans. He contributed 16 goals in 74 games.

Langlois was moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1926, traded for none other than the great Lionel Conacher. Langlois scored six goals in 36 games, but continued to play in relative anonymity.

The Montreal Canadiens finally got their man in 1927, trading Marty Burke to Pittsburgh for Langlois. However the Langlois they finally acquired was an older version of the amateur star they had been courting all decade. He would score zero goals and zero points in 32 games with the Habs.

That proved to he Langlois' last season in the National Hockey League. He scored 22 goals in 151 career games before finishing his career with four more seasons in the minor leagues.

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